Evaluating Co-teaching as a Means for Successful Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in a Rural District

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Summer 2004 by Wischnowski, Michael W, Salmon, Susan J, Eaton, Karen

Parent and Teacher Satisfaction

Parents and teachers were identified as key stakeholders in the co-teaching endeavor. Their perceptions were sought through surveys and staff meeting discussions throughout the school year.

Parent satisfaction. The evaluation team, in cooperation with the district administrators, developed a questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction with students' experiences in the coteaching classrooms. Each year, the questionnaire was sent out to all parents of students in the co-teaching classrooms and on average at the elementary level 90% of the surveys were returned while the middle school return rate was based on specific grade level the rate ranged from 16% to 45%. When a low percentages of surveys (less than 40%) were returned the administrations sent out a second letter asking for feedback from the parents. Each question could be answered with a 'yes' or 'no' response, with a comment space available after each question. Table 3 lists the questions that were asked of the parents.

The questionnaire was sampled on a few parents, revised by the evaluation team, and then given to parents in the spring of each year of the evaluation. The form did not require parents to divulge their names, but a space to fill in teachers' names was included for classroom and grade-level identification.

Approximately half of the parents completed the questionnaire in the first year; less than half completed it in the second year. Parents of students with and without disabilities who did return the forms expressed overall satisfaction with the co-teaching model used in the elementary grades. Parents of students with IEPs expressed gratitude for the opportunities which they perceived came about through the co-teaching experience: more individual attention for their child, better behavioral control in the classroom, and better access to peers without disabilities. Many parents saw the questionnaire as a vehicle for communicating individual concerns about their child that did not appear to be related to the coteaching model, such as broken lockers and lunch menus.

Middle school parents who responded to the questionnaire expressed support for the co-teaching model, but saw the model as a work-in-progress that still needed retooling to ensure success for their children. Again, the questionnaire elicited responses that reflected broader concerns than the co-teaching model. The transition from elementary school to middle school was a key theme in these responses. An example of these included a concern for the lack of orientation for themselves and their children during this transition. The absence of formal parent-teacher conferences in the middle school was distressing to some. These were unanticipated responses that alerted administration to these concerns. A new orientation program for middle school students and parents as well as a middle-school parent committee were subsequently established.

Two concerns were expressed about the coteaching model on middle-school parent questionnaires. One student appeared to be particularly challenged by the co-teaching classroom and his behavior was eliciting questions from his parents about the appropriateness of the co-taught classroom placement. A second concern revolved around the skills of one general education teacher's ability to teach and manage students with disabilities, even in a co-taught environment. The concern developed into a discussion among administrators of the "goodness of fit" for this teacher and this model.